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Alectrosaurus
Extinct genus of dinosaurs / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Alectrosaurus (/əˌlɛktroʊˈsɔːrəs/; meaning "alone lizard") is a genus of tyrannosauroid theropod dinosaur that lived in Asia during the Late Cretaceous period, about some 96 million years ago in what is now the Iren Dabasu Formation.
Quick Facts Scientific classification, Type species ...
Alectrosaurus | |
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Skeletal reconstruction of the holotype | |
Scientific classification ![]() | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Clade: | Dinosauria |
Clade: | Saurischia |
Clade: | Theropoda |
Superfamily: | †Tyrannosauroidea |
Clade: | †Pantyrannosauria |
Genus: | †Alectrosaurus Gilmore, 1933 |
Type species | |
†Alectrosaurus olseni Gilmore, 1933 | |
Synonyms | |
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It was a medium-sized, moderately-built, ground-dwelling, bipedal carnivore, estimated at 5 to 6 m (16 to 20 ft) with a body shape similar to its much larger advanced relative, Tyrannosaurus. Alectrosaurus was a very fast running tyrannosauroid as indicated by the elongated hindlimbs that likely filled the niche of a pursuit predator, a trait that seems to be lost by the advanced and robust tyrannosaurids, in adulthood.